Houseboat & River Weekend on the Upper Murray
Three slow days on the water between Renmark, Paringa and the Murtho cliffs.
The plan
The upper Murray around Renmark and Paringa is the Riverland at its most cinematic - towering limestone cliffs, the wild Chowilla floodplain and quiet reaches perfect for a self-drive houseboat. No licence is needed, and the river sets the pace.
Pick up your boat near Paringa, provision in Renmark, then point the bow upstream. Spend your days drifting between cliff-lined bends, dropping a line for callop, and your nights moored against a red-gum bank under a sky thick with stars. Break up the cruising with a paddle steamer cruise and a counter meal at one of the river's grand old pubs.
This is a holiday measured in sunsets, not kilometres. Take it slow.
Day 1
2 stops-
1Renmark
Renmark Riverfront
Provision in town and stretch your legs along the Renmark foreshore before casting off.
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2Renmark
Renmark Paddle Steamer PS Industry
If the schedule lines up, ride the 1911 PS Industry for a taste of the steam era.
Day 2
2 stops-
1Murtho
Headings Cliff Lookout
Cruise up to the Murtho cliffs and moor beneath the ochre walls for sunset.
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2Chowilla
Chowilla Game Reserve
Nose into the Chowilla floodplain backwaters - red gums, lagoons and big-sky wilderness.
Day 3
1 stop-
1Renmark
Renmark Hotel
Wind down with a counter meal at the community-owned Renmark Hotel overlooking the river.
On the map
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Image credits
- Houseboat passing by on Murray River-2 (14987013793).jpg by Sheba_Also 43,000 photos , CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons